Sheet-folding mechanism for envelopes and the like



- 1616,982 Feb. s,1927.. ANOWCK SHEET FOLDING MECHANISM FOR ENVELOPES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. s. 1923 3.Sheets-$heet 1 7 INVENTOR1 I AQJI Q ATTORNEYS F 8 I 1,616,982 gb 1927 g A. 'NOVICK SHEET FOLDING MECHANISM FOR ENVELOPES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. e, 1923 I 3 sheets-fiheet 2 INVENTOR I ATTORNEYS Fe 8-1 2 1,616,982 v b 9 7 A.- NOVICK I SHEET FOLDING MECHANISM FOR ENVELOPES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 6, 1925' 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Feb; .8 192.7.

I i i ABRAHAM NOVICK, on musnme, NEW YORK; ASSZiGNOR TO r. L. srairnn ,MACEINE I QOMPA'NY, rncoaronnrnn, on NEW roan, a. Y.. A co-nronarron oF-nnw YORK;

SHEET-FOLDING rancnanlsra roa nnvnitorns AND THE Lima.

This invention relates to mechanism for machine and serving to fold the bottom flaps of the envelopes made by such machine. The characteristic .novel features of the nvention will be hereinafter pointed out in. the description of the mechanism, illustrated" and in the appended claims. f V i The invention will be understood from the following description, taken in connection with the'accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is anelevation of ,a'portionof an envelope making machine having the inven tion embodied therein; Figure '2 is apartial section of Figure 3 taken on line 11-11, looking in the direction of the arrow, to show particularly the means for supporting the folding blades; Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly a section, of cer I tain of the parts 'shown'in Figures 1 and 2'; and Figures sand 5 are fragmentary side elevations, partly vin section, showing the elementsv of the bottom flap folding mechanism in various operative positions. I

Referring to the drawings, and participan to Figure 1, portions of the frame of an envelope making machine are represented by the-parts 8, and 9. I Bet-ween the frame members'S and 9, and inclined ,to the vertical, are forming blades 12 and 13 which cooperate with the blank .to be folded." The means by which the blanks are fed downward'ly' behind the forming blades 12 and 13,

forms no part of the present invention and need not be further described thanto say that in its-essential elements it comprlses a feed belt l5 the lower reach of which issupported upon the pulley 16, the front surface of this belt being in substantially the same plane as the back surfaces of. the folding blades 12 and 13 and the front surfaces of the fixed guides 18 and 19. .Frictional engagement between the envelope blanks and the belt 15 is increased by rollers 21 (Fig. 2) yieldingly pressed towards the belt 15 in a manner whichit is-unnecessary to il- A pplication filed November 6. 1923. Serial No. 673,049.

lustrate. Figure 2 shows the manner in which the parts just mentioned cooperate with an: envelope blank, the latter being in dicatedby aQdot-and-dashline. In Figure 1, an envelope blank is shown in dash lines before folding, and is shownin dot-and-dash "lines after the side flaps have been folded over the forming blades 12 and13, it being understood that this folding operation is accomplished by means which are not illustrated since they forinno part of the present invention. The lower flap of the envelope is shown inv Figure 1 as cooperating with the bottom folding nechanismand sto'psthereon which will behereinafter described? The manner inwhich the forming blades 12 and 13 are supported and actuated will now be described. These blades, for the purpose of feeding the blanks to the bottom folding and drawing off mechanism, herein after described, are re'ciprocate'd' longitudinally; and in order to permithigh speed operation the weight ofthe parts which are thus moved is reduced to a minimum. Provision is also made for adjustment of the forming blades 12 and 13 laterally, so alsf'to' adapt them. for engagement'with envelope blanks of different sizes. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, eachofthe forming blades 12 and 13 secured to an endof a'zbracketf 23, the other end of whichis attached to a ,slide 25 adapted to move in a slide-Way 27.

Each of the slide-ways 27 has. projecting from it, at substantially a right angle, a portion 29 forming another slide-way adapted' to cooperate with across frame member 30. Each of the slide ways 27 is shown as provided upon each side of its channel with a cover plate 32 which overlaps the edge of" the slide 25; and on its other side said slideway has an opening adapted to receivethe lugs 3 1 ext-ending forwardly from the'slide' 25. The slideway 29 is shown as provided with a cover plate 36 secured in place by screws 37 (Fig. 2) and with set screws 38,

the latter serving to hold the slideeways. 29 p at any desired locations on thecross frame 30. The slide 25, carrying the brackets 23 which in turncarry the forming blades l2. and 13, are reciprocated in the slide-ways 27 by a system of levers actuated from a cam 40 (Fig.3) whichis mounted upon and se cured to a constantly driven shaft 42 .jou-rnaled in the framesS and 9., The cam 40 is engaged by a cam roller 44: 'rotatablygara es held in the position, shown in Figure 4, the arm '77 will be rocked as usual 'by thecam 79,-but-the"yielding of thespring 83 will allow the shaft and the lever 74: mounted thereon to remain stationary, and if the folding plate 68 is held in the position shown in'Figure' 3, the result will be merely that the spring willfail to move the arm 77 so as to cause the roller 78 to follow thecam 79 throughout its smaller diameter.

It will be understood, of-course, thatthe relative'speeds of the shafts 4:2 and 80, and the forms of thecams etOandWS), are such that the movement of the bottom flap fold-v ing plate 68 from the position shown in Figure 3 to-the-positions shownin Figures and ,5 will "take place just before the forming blades 1'2 and 13 are projecteddownwardly;'

and that the return movement of the bottom flap folding plate will take place just-after the lower ends of the forming blades have been withdrawn upwardly out of the path of said flap folding plate. As will be obvious from Figures 4 and 5, the bottom flap of the envelope blank is bent upwardly by the forward movement of the bar 67 and the flap folding plate 68; and that, as the forming blades 12 and 13 move downwardly the bottom flap of the envelope is slidingly engaged by the rear, side of the flap folding plate 64. Near the end of this downward movement of the forming blades 12 and 13 and the folded envelope blank carried there:

by, the lower folded edge of the envelope, is

thrust by the forming blades into'engage ment with certain cooperating drawing-off o rollers 86 and 87 which seize the envelope and strip it from the forming blades 12 and 13. Thedrawing-ofi roller 86is mounted upon a constantly driven shaft 89 suitably journaled in the machine frames; and the roller 87 is secured to a shaft 90 which is rotatably mounted in movable bearings 91 with which cooperate springs 92 serving to yieldingly hold said bearings in such positions that the roller 87 acts as an idler to the proper drawing offof the envelope from the forming blades is assured.

' Variations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of a hat I claim is:

1; In combination, means for supporting a blank to be folded, forming blade means my invention.

having an edge about which the blank is to i be folded, folding means cooperating with said forming blade means to fold the blank in opposite against the-said ed'geand stopscarried by i said foldin means for controlling the p osi tion of said blank: a

'2. In combination, means for supporting a blank to be folded, forming'blade means having an edge about which the blank is to be folded, folding means cooperating with said forming-blade meansto fold the blank about the said edge, and adjustable stops care ried by: said folding means for controlling the position of said blank.- .1 7

In combination, means a blank to be folded, adjustablyirsupported forming blades having'an'edge about which the blank 18110 be folded, folding means. 00 L operating with the-ends of said forming blades to fold the blank about the said edge,

forv supporting and: stops adjust-ably mounted on said folding 1 ieans and. adapted .to c'ooperate with said blank and' support thesame m properposi-"zzl tion with reference to said. forming blades and folding means. I v

i. In combination, means for supporting a blank to be folded, folding means, forming blades having an edge about'which the blank is to be folded, means for supporting said formingbladesso as to permit "longitudinal movement thereof, means upon which said blade supporting means are adjustably "mounted to permit lateral adjustment there K of, and operating mechanism for periodical? v ly reciprocating"saidforming blades.

5. In combination, means for supporting the blank to be folded, foldingrmeans, forming blades having an edge about which the blank is to be-folded, brackets secured tosaid formlng blades, means for supporting said brackets, means upon which said bracket supporting means are adjustably mounted, and anoperating mechanism for-"periodical ly reciprocating said forming blades.

6. In combination, means for supporting its the blank to be folded, folding means, form-,

ing blades lying in the same plane and parallel to one another, separate means for supllt sport-ing each forming blade so as to permit a longitudinal movement thereof, a common means upon which'each of said blade supporting means is adjustably mounted, a shaft which is periodically partially rotated. directions, and connecting means between said sha-ftand each blade supporting means whereby. the

, latter are periodically reciprocated.

7. In a foldingmechanism, forming means, T

a inovably supported folding blade, means v for yieldingly movingsaid blade in a direction to fold'a blank, and means for yieldingly moving the blade in the opposite direc tion to return it to initial position. s

8. Ina folding mechanism, forming means, a movably supported folding blade, an actuating member cooperative with said blade, means for moving said actuating member positively in one direction and yieldingly in f interposed between said actuating member and said folding blade for causing the blade a to be yieldingly moved'in response to the positive movement of the actuating member. 9. In a folding mechanism, forming blades, means cooperating With the forming blades to position a blank in a definite plane for folding, afolding'blade initially at the Opposite side of the blank plane from the forming blades, means for moving the folding blade transversely of theblank plane to turn the c blank around the forming blades, and means for moving the forming blades along the folding blade to crease th fold and feed the blank. 7

10. In a folding mechanism, forming blades, means cooperating With'the forming blades to position a blank in a: definite plane for folding, a folding blade initially at the opposite side of the blank plane from the forming blades, means for moving thefold:

ing blade transversely of the blank plane to turn the blank around theforming blades,

7 means for moving the forming blades along blades, means cooperating with the forming blades to position a blank against the rear of the forming blades, a foldingblademovable from rear to front, of the forming blades to turn the blank around the forming blades and means for movin the formiiw blades along the rear of the folding blade, in the plane of the blank and transversely of said fold, to.creasethe fold. Y

ABRAHAMLNOVIVOK;

CERTIFICATE OF- CDRRECTION.

Patent No. 1,616, 982; granted Febrary 8, 19 2 7.

to ABRAHAM NOVICK.

M. J. Moore; ,v Seal; Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

